Attending Halloween
by simply.asha
Summary: "Satoshi-san, you ARE coming to Halloween's Party, aren't you?"


"Nee, Satoshi-san!"

The addressed blunette raised his head from the book he was reading and gave a questioning look to the girl who had just ruined his concentration. Harada Risa grinned as she sat beside him, "Sorry. Just wanna ask you something.." she trailed off and then continued, staring at him with countless stars on her eyes, "You're going, right?" The boy's eyebrows twitched to a frown. He glanced to the page he was reading, assuring himself that he'd remember that he was on the 759th page, and closed the book. Then a query escaped his lips,

"Going where, Harada-san?"

She let out a (rather dramatic) gasp of disbelief and shrieked immediately, without missing a single beat, "_You don't know?_ How could you miss such an important event at October? You do remember United Nations' day, Gandhi's birthday, and those weird-but-important-well, at least to _you_-days, how could you forget dear ol' _Halloween_?"

"Hallow's Eve and United Nations' Day or Mahatma Gandhi's birthday are not in the same degree of importance for me," the blunette indifferently answered, going back to his book-now page 760. Risa rolled her eyes. Sometimes she wonders whether Satoshi is really fourteen. "Whatever," she paused, then continued, "But still, you're coming, right?"

Hearing her question, Satoshi lifted and shook his head, "No, Harada-san. Not interested, sorry."

"_What?"_ she exclaimed-a bit too loudly than Satoshi preferred general noises to be, "No, you can't just say you're not coming! Riku and Daisuke is coming!" He looked at her, flatly, "I did not just say that I'm not coming, didn't I? I just said that I'm not interested. Furthermore, what does Daisuke and Riku's presence has to do with mine?"

"You just simply _have_ to come!"

Another frown, "Harada, you cannot tell me what to do."

"I'm not _telling_ you, I'm asking you! _Begging_ you! Please, _please_ just come with us! It'd be fun!" she pleaded, putting her best kicked-puppy look as she repeated, "Please? Just this once?" It worked as a magic-now she had all of his attention and will. Well, she_is_ eternally proud and thankful for this unusual talent: the ability of persuading Satoshi to do what he doesn't want-or never think-to do.

He sighed, "I don't have a costume, Harada-san."

She snorted, "Oh, rubbish! We still have twelve hours and with those hands of yours, you can transform anything to a suitable costume."

Satoshi was silent for a while, "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should, cause it _i_s a compliment, silly," she nodded, "Now. Let's see.. You wanna be Dracula or some kind of vampire? You're pale enough to be one, and they don't need a lot of make ups or properties."

"No, Harada. I don't want to be a Dracula."

"No? Okay," she shrugged, "How about Frankenstein? It's gonna need a lot of make-ups but I think-" He cut her with a sour look. She grinned, "Okay. Okay, I'm sorry." Harada Risa then cocked her head to her side for a while, then suddenly she got a great idea,

"_What about Godzilla?"_

"Harada, if you don't have any decent idea, I'm afraid I have to cancel this."

"Oh, don't! Don't!" she cried out in panic, then began to put her every brain cell to figure out something for her closest friend, "You'd look so scary if you wear a costume as..."

A minute later she jumped, cheerily shrieking, "OH! I KNOW! I KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD BE!" Satoshi sent her a silent question through his eyes and she was beaming widely when she replied, "You, Hiwatari Satoshi, should be a girl!"

The boy's face turned expressionless, "No."

"Oh, come on!" she begged, eyes gleaming in superb excitement, "It'd be good! You're so frighteningly beautiful when you're in a girl's attire, you know that?"

"Harada, no, I will not dress up in a drag." _Again._

"Aww, man! Just this once? Please? Please? Please? Pleaseeee?" she was jumping up and down now, clutching to his sleeve, and he hated it when she jumps. She always looks like a small kid when she does. This annoyed him. Her innocence and child-like qualities are two of the things he cannot stand.

"No, Harada-san. Figure out another idea or I'll really pass."

She pouted, and thought.

After two minutes of silence, another 'oh-i-have-a-very-nice-idea-Satoshi-san!' look was set on her face. Harada Risa had found another brilliant idea! She stared to him and beamed while chiming cheerfully,

"You should be you."

An eyebrow was raised, "Me?"

"You know, Satoshi Hiwatari himself is creepy enough for most of us people-" she paused, recognized the look on his face, and quickly proceeded, "It's not bad! Really! It's great! I mean..sometimes you're just too..you know, quiet and all. It's one of the qualities we love from you, and at the same time, it's what we hate the most! It's perfect! You may as well go as yourself!"

He thought for a minute. It wouldn't hurt to go.

"Well, then."

...

The party was great and they had lots of fun. Some of them asked why Satoshi doesn't wear any costume but his own clothes (a piece of black T-shirt and a pair of white trousers), and Risa would cheerily explained how being himself is spooky enough for some people. Then the questioner would grimaced, agreed, and left for some more punch or some more cakes.

They didn't do anything in particular. They just strolled around, enjoying the time, enjoying the music before going door-to-door, talks with Daisuke (plays a wizard this time-last year he was being Dark) and Riku (plays a witch with her boyfriend-last year she played Risa. Boys find it scary that the independent Riku can play the all-spoiled Risa.)

They had fun. Not only Risa, but both of them. He had found amusement in accompanying his closest friend to houses and ask for some sweets, saying 'treat or tricks!' along with her... No matter how old they are, Halloween is fun.

So, yes, he had fun.

And time flies when we're enjoying ourselves. Soon it was ten o'clock and it was time to go home. So off they went. And suddenly,

"Harada.."

"Hm?" she didn't look up to him, for she was still fiddling curiously with her lollipops and caramels, counting in mind how much she had to share with Satoshi in the end and contemplating whether Satoshi would even want to have some.

"I think I want to come again next year."

Her eyes shone with excitement, "You _do_?"

He shrugged, trying to look indifferent, "Yes. To be frank, Halloween Party is..you know.. quite interesting." Risa's smile became impossibly bright, "I told you! Oh, that's great! We'll go together again next year, okay?"

"Sure."

"Ooh, that's awesome!" she cheerily shrieked, "Next year.. I think I wanna be Tinkerbell. You wanna be Captain Hook, Peterpan or one of the Lost Boys?"

"I don't know. What do you think I should be?" he asked, smiling so slightly. Sometimes, he likes watching her rant.

She put a serious thinking face, "Mm.. Come to think of it, you can't be Captain Hook-your face is way too..benign to play his role. You're too tall to be a Lost Boy," she tilted her head to her side and grinned, "So, to have you as Peterpan would be perfect! We can go around and around together because Tink always follows Peterpan!" she beamed a smile, "That'd be fun, wouldn't it?"

He returned her excited smile with a warm one, "It will."

"Great! Now, what do you think about the year after the next year? I want to dress up as a man and you can be a gi-"

"-No," the answer came quick, and flat.

"Oh, _come on_! It'd be so scary, and I'd make a really pretty boy!"

"No, Harada."

"Please? please? Please? Pleeeeaaaseee!"

Even the kicked-puppy face didn't work anymore. "Why are you so excited to see me wearing girls' clothes, Harada-san?"

"Because you look so good in it! Even _I'm_ jealous! Do you have any idea that you look much better than Freedert-Daisuke when you're being a girl?"

Satoshi rolled his eyes delicately and Risa laughed cheerily beside him, quickly losing the scandalized face she had before, "I was kidding, I was kidding! Anyway, I had fun today. Thanks so much for accompanying me to the party, Satoshi-kun!"

A small, genuine smile curved on his lips.

"Same here, Risa."

The two close friends continued to walk their way to their homes, side-to-side, and soon after that, hand-in-hand.

A/N : Wrote this _years_ ago. Thought I should upload it. Tell me what you think!


End file.
